Angry Nigerian soldiers fire on senior officer

The Associated Press

Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 9:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 9:29 p.m.

BAUCHI, Nigeria — Soldiers say angry Nigerian troops fired at a senior officer in another sign of a demoralized military supposed to be leading the hunt for nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamic extremists.

They say the soldiers fired Wednesday on a vehicle carrying Maj. Gen. Ahmadu Mohammed following the killings of 14 soldiers in an ambush. The soldiers killed were in a group that had told their command the road was dangerous and wanted to spend the night in a village. They were ordered to travel instead.

Soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity because they want their jobs said soldiers opened fire as Mohammed drove into a barracks in northeast Maiduguri city to sympathize. He was not hit.

Demoralized troops is one reason Nigeria's military has failed to rescue the kidnapped girls, sparking outrage and forcing the government to accept international help in their rescue.

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